Remote work isn’t going away any time soon, so whether you are new to it or not, it’s best to make the situation comfortable and effective for you. While some may have taken to working from home, there are those that still struggle with acclimating to it. What works for others may not work for the rest. The beauty of remote work is the flexibility but you still need to create some structure in your days.

There are some things you can do to create a healthy work-from-home routine. You may need to adjust your schedule and adjust the way you approach your work, but there are many ways to make it fit around your schedule. The key is setting yourself up for success by focusing on what works for you and making sure that you do those things consistently every day.

Prioritize a routine

Prioritizing a routine is one of the most important steps in establishing a successful remote work environment. If you don’t have a set schedule, it’s easy to lose track of time and forget important tasks. This can lead to missed deadlines, stress-related accidents, and even health problems like sleep deprivation or anxiety disorders.

To establish yourself as someone who knows what they’re doing when it comes to being productive at work—and therefore worth hiring—you need an established routine that works for both your personal life and professional goals (like getting things done). Here are some tips on how to best set up yours.

1. Plan your day, but be realistic

You can plan your day in advance, but it’s important to note that your life is going to be different every time you work from home. In other words: no two days are the same. If you have a plan for tomorrow morning, stick with it as much as possible and don’t deviate at all from what works best for you and your family. It’s important to stick to a set work schedule that fits around your family obligations. You should not be neglecting your family, or working too much or too little. Make sure you are not working at the wrong times, places or in an environment that is damaging to your health and wellbeing.

2. Set up a workspace that brings you joy

Consider the physical environment of your office and make sure it’s comfortable, functional, and well-lit. Then you can tailor it to your preferences that make working fun for you such as having quality speakers to blast your favorite music, a mechanical keyboard that makes satisfying typing noises, a photo of your pet or favorite artist or celebrity crush on display to give you good vibes, an ergonomic chair that supports whatever sitting position you prefer, or plants. Remember, unlike when in an office, you don’t have to worry about disturbing other workmates or being conscious about your boss seeing how you work. Make it fun and make it you.

3. Keep your workspace clean and organized

If you have a cluttered desk or room, it will be hard for you to focus on what is important. Try keeping your space free of clutter and try not to distract yourself with other things around the house. Keeping a tidy workspace can help you focus on one thing at a time instead of being distracted by other things that may pop up when they shouldn’t be there in the first place.

4. Make sure workspace is strictly for work

If you have an extra room in your home that you can turn into an office, great! A space dedicated strictly for work helps keep distractions out and sets you up to be productive, and inversely helps you relax and be off work mode when you close it off at the end of the day.

If you don’t have the extra space, try stepping out and going to cafes or coworking spaces. This option is great because it can resemble the routine of coming into an office but you don’t have to clock in and the coffee is better. Try asking your employer if they can reimburse you for the coworking space or the coffee, after all they’re for work.

The point is to make work so separate from your home life where the environment may not be conducive to productivity, and also so you don’t mix work into places where you should be relaxing.

5. Create routines that signify the start and end of work

Whether your work follows a normal 9-5 schedule or not, it helps to build routines that prepare your brain for work or winding down. For example, you can shower, dress up, and have coffee before walking over to your home office or neighborhood cafe. Then before going home or logging off, you can step out to walk the dog or do a quick jog or run a short errand, just as if you were commuting home from work. These routines signal to your brain when work is about to start or end so it knows when to focus and when to relax.

6. Don’t entertain work stuff during off hours

Once you’ve established a routine that works for you, it’s important to be consistent. Not everybody is successful in shutting off work and some just don’t care about crossing boundaries. You can get a work-related message while you’re relaxing in bed with a book or spending time with your family. It may not always be urgent but once you’ve read it, work has entered your brain and you may continue thinking about it until it’s time to address the message or task. You can try setting up a Do Not Disturb mode on your phone during non-work hours or if you’re lucky, your employer provided you with a work phone and laptop that you can always leave in your home office or put out of sight when not in use.

7. Structure everything with health in mind

You can have a healthy routine when you are working from home. When you are working from home, there is no need to rush into the office every day with a cup of coffee and a half-eaten muffin in your hand. You don’t need to eat breakfast before rushing out the door for work; instead, take advantage of all the time during your commute that would otherwise be wasted on eating junk food or drinking coffee while driving around town (or even sitting still). Instead, create an hour dedicated solely to eating breakfast so that by 9:00 AM at least half of what should be left over will be gone!

You can also make sure that this new routine doesn’t fall into too much of an intense schedule where there’s not enough time for other activities like exercise or reading books on your own time because once again – these things come naturally when we find ourselves surrounded by others who aren’t quite so focused on themselves as they are others around them

Ready to be a Remote Workmate?

Now that you’re armed with these helpful tips on being an effective remote worker, it’s time to succeed at a remote job! Find opportunities when you click on our career listings below.